RMIT University’s newly launched hub aims to deliver renewable energy technologies for greenhouses, driving forward the potential of protected cropping
RMIT University has launched its ARC Research Hub for Intelligent Energy Efficiency in Future Protected Cropping (E2Crop Hub), which will advance sustainable protected cropping with intelligent, renewable and energy-efficient greenhouse solutions for the future of agriculture.
The E2Crop Hub is an Australian Research Council (ARC) supported major initiative, which aims to pioneer solutions in renewable energy, plant quality enhancement, intelligent greenhouse monitoring and analysis to drive forward the vast potential of protected cropping.
Working alongside 12 industry partners over a five-year research program, the Hub will focus on delivering advanced energy technologies for greenhouses, enabling them to be self-sustained, affordable and powered by renewable energy, as well as new automated decision-making techniques for farmers.
“The E2Crop Hub brings together leading research capabilities from RMIT University, The Australian National University, Western Sydney University and The University of New South Wales,” E2Crop Hub director Tianyi Ma says.
“This expertise is paired together with innovative industry leaders such as Innofocus Photonics Technology, South East Water, ClearVue Technologies, Vecor Technologies, GreenPlus, Protected Cropping Australia, Evident Australia, and many more.”
Ma adds the Hub is well-positioned to meet the challenge of developing a more sustainable agricultural industry.
“The world urgently needs smarter and more sustainable ways to grow food,” he says.
“Protected cropping – including high-tech greenhouses and vertical farming – will play a critical role in future food production.
“But these systems are energy intensive. To scale sustainably, the future of agriculture must be a future of intelligent and energy efficient innovation. That is the challenge that sits at the heart of the E2Crop Hub, and it is one we at the Hub are uniquely positioned to address.”
Three research themes will be at the heart of the Hub, including renewable energy, plant optimisation, and intelligent cropping.
Renewable energy will focus on solving the large energy consumption challenge associated with controlling the microclimate in greenhouses, including lighting, temperature, humidity and CO2 levels. The Hub aims to develop intelligent, energy-efficient systems that can dynamically adjust these factors in response to real-time environmental changes.
Plant optimisation will aim to amplify crop yield and nutrition within controlled environments. Focusing on tailoring nutrient and CO2 levels, alongside precise microclimate adjustments, this theme will look to fine-tune the internal conditions of greenhouses to achieve optimal crop cultivation.
Intelligent cropping will cover artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data, aiming for responsive and self-regulating greenhouse ecosystems. The focus is on real-time monitoring and predictive analytics for proactive management, streamlining greenhouse operations for optimal plant performance with minimal resource input.